Japan to launch model project for land banks to manage plots left unused
The land ministry will begin a model project for so-called land banks this fiscal year, aiming to appropriately manage land plots that are left unused and find new ways to utilize them through regional cooperation. Local governments and nonprofit organizations will act as coordinators for ...
All shinkansen to have spaces for wheelchairs, Japan ministry says
The transport ministry said Tuesday that all of the country's shinkansen trains would create spaces for wheelchair users. The ministry will conduct tests by summer and work out the details, such as the size required for such spaces. It unveiled the plan as part of a ...
Ghosn's escape exposes business jet industry's security loopholes
Beside the prominent entrance to Kansai International Airport's Terminal 2, which serves several budget airlines, is a nondescript door to which a sign saying Premium Gate Tamayura has been affixed. This is the entrance through which the world's rich and famous enter to access a ...
Critics assail secrecy over unexploded chemical weapons left by Imperial Japanese Army
At the end of World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army left a number of unexploded shells filled with poison gas used as munitions. In the 2000s, when such artillery shells were discovered and retrieved from the seabed off the coastal town of Kanda, ...
Japan considers law requiring local governments to fill transport gaps in rural areas
The transport ministry is considering a new system to help maintain public transport services in nonurban areas at a time when the population has been declining. The system will call on governments to create plans for securing means of public transportation and seek new service ...
With eye on elderly, Japan to make automatic brakes mandatory for new cars from late 2021
Japan will oblige domestic automakers to have all new and remodeled passenger cars equipped with automatic brakes from November 2021 amid a rise in the number of accidents involving elderly drivers, the government said Tuesday. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism will also ...
Japanese government to discuss new flood prevention steps in wake of disasters
The infrastructure ministry will revise the government’s basic policy on river maintenance as early as this fiscal year after discussions at the Council for Social Infrastructure, officials say.
Shizuoka faces pushback after it delays maglev project over river water concerns
Construction of a new maglev line connecting Tokyo and Nagoya has come to a standstill, with Shizuoka Prefecture refusing to give the green light to the full-scale drilling of a tunnel under the Oi River, claiming the project could decrease the amount of water ...
Japan Airlines faces second government reprimand over drinking by pilots
The transport ministry will issue a second business improvement order against Japan Airlines Co. after a series of drinking incidents involving its pilots, ministry sources said Tuesday. It is rare for the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry to reprimand a company twice. The first order ...
Tests of new Haneda airport flight path carried out over central Tokyo
The transport ministry on Friday began testing new flight paths over central Tokyo for international passenger aircraft bound for Haneda airport, as the major hub looks to boost capacity in time for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics. The tests, using a small jet owned by ...
Japan to standardize English road signs in run-up to 2020 Tokyo Olympics
The transport ministry plans to standardize English descriptions on road signs across the country to make them easier for overseas visitors to understand in the run-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Roads to promote Tohoku revitalization to fully open by March 2021, says land ministry
Roads designed to promote Tohoku revitalization following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami will fully open in four prefectures by the end of fiscal 2020, the land ministry said Thursday. The opening of the final 47 kilometers of roads in five sections is now set ...
